What is hell like?

General discussions about Christianity including salvation, heaven and hell, Christian history and so on.
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B. W.
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Re: What is hell like?

Post by B. W. »

Danieltwotwenty wrote:Wow B.W. that was a powerful sermon and testimony and i am glad God has given you a second chance, i hope when my day of judgement comes i will be ready.
There is so much that is still wrong with my life and i hope God can help me correct these before my time is finished.
When i get some money i am going to purchase your book off of amazon so i can share your story with my friends.

Your friend in Christ
Daniel
Thanks Daniel, glad to hear your kind words as sometimes everyone needs a little uplifting, and yes, the Lord will help you correct things!

Be Blest
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Danieltwotwenty
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Re: What is hell like?

Post by Danieltwotwenty »

I just have one question for you B.W., why when God had made his judgement did you get a second chance or was it a vision of what would happen if you didnt take the road less travelled?
Not trying to be offensive just curious as to what you make of it in terms of second chances.

Daniel
1Tim1:15-17
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.Amen.
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B. W.
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Re: What is hell like?

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Danieltwotwenty wrote:I just have one question for you B.W., why when God had made his judgement did you get a second chance or was it a vision of what would happen if you didnt take the road less travelled?
Not trying to be offensive just curious as to what you make of it in terms of second chances.

Daniel
I do not mind your question at all. For an answer as to why, still ask myself that. There is a chapter in the book that editors recommended loping out. It is under the original copyright still. The chapter described how I when I was a little tike, BAC (Before Air Conditioning), my parents attended their home Southern Baptist Church during a revival meeting.

It was hot, people fanning themselves. I was noisily playing with toys on the hard wooden pews wearing a stuffy little toddler suit/tie outfit. The topic must have been baptism because that is what I remember. To a little kid, wearing a stuffy outfit on a hot evening in Virginia, the description of the baptismal was one of water – cool water. That meant a pool to me and swimming!

I do recall daydreaming of diving into the pool, head first, and began telling my mother I wanted to be baptized. Like most mothers, she divined my motives well and said, such was not for swimming but only after you accept Christ and really meant changing your life. I recall she said something like that as it always has stuck with me. I said, yes, as a tike thought ‘swimming’, ‘cool waters’, and ‘dive right in.’ So in my own kid way of reasoning, if accepting Christ meant being able to swim and get out of an itchy woolen suit, amen – was ready to change my life ma.

I still remember snippets of thinking this on that specific night. Both my mother and father said no, as that was a grown-up bath, maybe later and we went home. That event always remains in my memory and verified by my parents because I was so little (4 years old). It was one of my very first memories. My first was a snippet of a late 2 year old with my dad teaching me not to be afraid of the water. May dad loved to swim and he taught me from an early age to love the water as he did. Have a black and white photo of that but I recall the colors!

So, maybe, when I was that little 4 year old, in my dumb kid way, I accepted Jesus into my life albeit for the wrong reasons no less and that is why I was granted a second chance after falling away totally from the Lord as I later grew up starting around 10 years old on till I was 22 at the time of the NDE. I also had neighbors, parents, relatives, acquaintances, pastors, seminary students all praying for me as well. I was their pet project for conversion. So maybe it was the power of prayer.

Fact is, if you look at it, in a way, we all are granted a second chance. Humanity, born into sin has no chance but with Christ we all have that same second chance. Mine was a bit more dramatic than the norm and only the Lord really knows why. I wonder about this to this day but thank him for being secure in him now and forever.

Yes, I eventually did get water baptized 1981 in a Southern Baptist Church in Fort Collins, Colorado. The pastor gave me whole story of why one does. I didn’t care about any of the doctrine. I just wanted to change my life because I remembered what my mother said to me all those many years ago: meant for changing ones life. Out of the group that were baptized that day, I came out the water happy, felt cleanest I ever felt, chattering away. The others wondered what was wrong with me – guess they just got wet…
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Science is man's invention - creation is God's
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Old Polish Proverb:
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Danieltwotwenty
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Re: What is hell like?

Post by Danieltwotwenty »

Fact is, if you look at it, in a way, we all are granted a second chance. Humanity, born into sin has no chance but with Christ we all have that same second chance. Mine was a bit more dramatic than the norm and only the Lord really knows why. I wonder about this to this day but thank him for being secure in him now and forever
That makes sense, like when you were saying about the car how God moved the steering wheel to miss the other car coming the other way.
I would hate to guess how many times in my life that God has shown up and intervened but i was ignorant of the fact, so im probably onto my millionth chance by now.
1Tim1:15-17
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.Amen.
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Re: What is hell like?

Post by Silvertusk »

Have not read your book yet Brian (amazon should be delivering today or tomorrow) but could the place you visited be the holding ground for people who have died not saved and are waiting for the white throne judgement - so what you were seeing was Hell as it is at the moment - hence the reason you were allowed to come back as it was not the final judgement?

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B. W.
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Re: What is hell like?

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Silvertusk wrote:Have not read your book yet Brian (amazon should be delivering today or tomorrow) but could the place you visited be the holding ground for people who have died not saved and are waiting for the white throne judgement - so what you were seeing was Hell as it is at the moment - hence the reason you were allowed to come back as it was not the final judgement?

Silvertusk
Isaiah 24:22 puts it this way: "They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished" NASB

This describes the principle that there is a current Hell which acts like a holding center where individuals await a final commuting of sentence at a later date (White Throne). You are right about a current holding area and also maybe the reason for so many reported NDE's reported these days because the final judgment has not happened yet.

When you read the account of the Great White Throne Judgment, notice that hell and all unsaved are sent to a new location, and this reflects the principle I mentioned concerning a the commuting of sentence.

Working in the field of criminal justice in the USA for so many years, I find it interesting how a person is arrested, charges read (hearing) then held in the Local County Jail, till trial. Found Guilty, the person is then removed from the County Jail to the State Penitentiary for rest of sentence. This symbolizes very well with how the bible describes both the current hell and final white throne judgment.
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Science is man's invention - creation is God's
(by B. W. Melvin)

Old Polish Proverb:
Not my Circus....not my monkeys
coldblood
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Re: What is hell like?

Post by coldblood »

2. Hell is not a torture chamber.
6. Hell is not a pleasant place.
Offhand, I would say these two statements contradict each other. If hell is real and is a state of existence that is designed to be unpleasant then that approximates (closely enough) the definition of a torture chamber. Further, if hell is real and is a state of existence that is designed to be "painful" then that approximates (exactly) the definition of a torture chamber.

5. There will be different degrees of punishment in hell.
If there were a hell and the suffering in this hell was constant and eternal, any conscious entity (also eternal) unfortunate enough to be condemned forever to this hell would experience infinite punishment. Between any two such entities in hell there could be no difference in the amount of punishment. That is: 1+1+1+… = 100+100+100+…


Of all the scenarios postulated to explain hell, the specific concept of an eternal hell and eternal “painful” punishment presents a philosophical problem. This is because we assume God is all-powerful and can do anything he wants. We assume, too, that God is all-loving and he does not want people to suffer. So, how could (or why would) a god with these characteristics create a state where suffering could exist for an eternity?

If God punished those who did not accept him this manner, it would be equivalent to him saying, Love me or I will hurt you, horribly! And that just wouldn’t make sense. Such an ultimatum wouldn’t create a desire to love him, and it wouldn’t make him a very attractive god. A god who allows suffering in this world is one thing; and although I do not understand why he allows our temporary daily suffering, I am not going to second guess him. However, a god that had plans in the works to subject his deficient creatures to eternal suffering would be something else entirely. That kind of god would be a monster. And those who would blithely choose to place the blame on the flawed victims, themselves, for their failings would in no way be providing an excuse for such a god. Whatever the bible says about hell, and whatever the bible authors may have known about hell, and whatever they may have meant to say about it; and, too, in spite of all the good folks who know “exactly” the answers to these questions, and who write books telling us how it really is; I can’t/won’t believe God designed permanent suffering into the scheme of things.


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B. W.
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Re: What is hell like?

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coldblood wrote:...If God punished those who did not accept him this manner, it would be equivalent to him saying, Love me or I will hurt you, horribly! And that just wouldn’t make sense. Such an ultimatum wouldn’t create a desire to love him, and it wouldn’t make him a very attractive god. A god who allows suffering in this world is one thing; and although I do not understand why he allows our temporary daily suffering, I am not going to second guess him. However, a god that had plans in the works to subject his deficient creatures to eternal suffering would be something else entirely. That kind of god would be a monster. And those who would blithely choose to place the blame on the flawed victims, themselves, for their failings would in no way be providing an excuse for such a god. Whatever the bible says about hell, and whatever the bible authors may have known about hell, and whatever they may have meant to say about it; and, too, in spite of all the good folks who know “exactly” the answers to these questions, and who write books telling us how it really is; I can’t/won’t believe God designed permanent suffering into the scheme of things.

Coldblood, Here is a link from this forum regarding you comments:

Punishment Finite Sins Thread

Also, here are a few more links posted below that can help you explore the topic more:

On Line Article

PDF LINK - One

PDF lLINK - Two
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P.S. Coldblood, Your premise and comment ends up second guessing God and ends in a demanding or else statement.
Science is man's invention - creation is God's
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Re: What is hell like?

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If God punished those who did not accept him this manner, it would be equivalent to him saying, Love me or I will hurt you, horribly!
Huh? How is that equivalent?

That's the equivalent of thinking, if I advise someone to quit smoking because it could result in a painful death, "Quit smoking or I will hurt you." See how ridiculous this sounds. The consequences do not mean I am imposing pain on the person. Their pain is self-inflicted.
That kind of god would be a monster. And those who would blithely choose to place the blame on the flawed victims, themselves, for their failings would in no way be providing an excuse for such a god.
Would you apply this same reasoning to death row inmates? Should we let them go, because their mom put their shoes on too tight when they were kids. They are just flawed people afterall. Maybe you could put them up at your house.
I can’t/won’t believe God designed permanent suffering into the scheme of things.
I think you said a mouthful. Is it possible that your understanding of God's love, justice, wrath and punishment are flawed?
-“The Bible treated allegorically becomes putty in the hands of the exegete.” John Walvoord

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Re: What is hell like?

Post by Murray »

I view hell as an act of love more than an act of hate really.

God will not force you to live in a place of peace, love, tolerance, and obedience if you choose not to do so. He gave you this life to show if you are willing to live in such place or not. If you live a life of pleasure, lust, greed, intolerance, and hate then god will reward you by sending you with people that lived like you.

Hell is not made horrible by Satan, but is made horrible by those who inhabit it.
in nomine patri et fili spiritu sancte
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Re: What is hell like?

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I have a question for anyone to answer.

Using the mind that you have know (because it is not possible to make a choice without a mind), if you did not exist, then what would you rather choose?

1. Not ever existing
2. Existing in hell
Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
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Re: What is hell like?

Post by Murray »

ummm #1

hell does not sound fun
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Re: What is hell like?

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wrain62 wrote:I have a question for anyone to answer.

Using the mind that you have know (because it is not possible to make a choice without a mind), if you did not exist, then what would you rather choose?

1. Not ever existing
2. Existing in hell
Before I answer, I need clarification on what you mean by "not ever existing". Do you mean not ever born, not ever conceived, or something else? I ask, because I believe God knew me before I ever existed.
John 5:24
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.


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-Edward R Murrow




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wrain62
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Re: What is hell like?

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Not
RickD wrote:
wrain62 wrote:I have a question for anyone to answer.

Using the mind that you have know (because it is not possible to make a choice without a mind), if you did not exist, then what would you rather choose?

1. Not ever existing
2. Existing in hell
Before I answer, I need clarification on what you mean by "not ever existing". Do you mean not ever born, not ever conceived, or something else? I ask, because I believe God knew me before I ever existed.

Not ever being recognized by God in any shape or way. This does not actually exist, so you are going to have to use your imagination.
Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
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Re: What is hell like?

Post by RickD »

wrain62 wrote:Not
RickD wrote:
wrain62 wrote:I have a question for anyone to answer.

Using the mind that you have know (because it is not possible to make a choice without a mind), if you did not exist, then what would you rather choose?

1. Not ever existing
2. Existing in hell
Before I answer, I need clarification on what you mean by "not ever existing". Do you mean not ever born, not ever conceived, or something else? I ask, because I believe God knew me before I ever existed.

Not ever being recognized by God in any shape or way. This does not actually exist, so you are going to have to use your imagination.
I guess I would choose #1. I would probably choose anything you had up there besides #2. Existing in hell.

May I ask, what the point of this is?
John 5:24
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.


“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”
-Edward R Murrow




St. Richard the Sarcastic--The Patron Saint of Irony
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